About Station 2 Innovation

At Station 2 we believe that people and businesses thrive in a community.

What makes Station 2 great? You do!

At Station 2 Innovation our mission is “Serving Entrepreneurs, Building Community & Growing Businesses in Bradenton & Beyond!”. We build community by supporting a space for coworking, collaboration and networking; serving entrepreneurs through education, peer support; and growing businesses with mentoring, resources and connections.

Additional services offered by partners include an innovative cowork-to-incubation program to help companies launch successfully and grow sustainably in the Bradenton area, and soft-landing market expansion services for companies coming into the area. It’s all about business growth!

Why Entrepreneurs and Community? Business success does not happen in a vacuum. Research shows that individuals and businesses with peer & member support far outperform and are more successful than those without support. Entrepreneurs have particular needs for education, mentoring, and connections to help them successfully launch and grow their business.

Why Cowork? How we as entrepreneurs and independents work is changing, and coworking spaces accommodate our changing needs in this new connected technology world of work. Research shows that entrepreneurs, independents and virtual workers thrive in these collaborative and shared spaces, and people who work in coworking spaces are happier than those in traditional environments.

Who cares? Government, Business and Community Leaders care because stronger business, community and entrepreneurial growth means more jobs, higher wages, less “brain drain”, and a rich environment for entrepreneurs, attracting the capital needed for building new businesses in the region.

A Little About Our History

Station 2 is housed in a 2-story brick building that was originally built as the town hall for the historic Village of Manatee. Long ago this location was the end of the Cracker Trail, just east of today’s downtown Bradenton. It was a happening place – where Florida cowboys (known as ‘Crackers’ for the sound of their whips) would drive their herds to be loaded aboard boats and rail for transportation and sale to Cuba and elsewhere. After the cowboys had been paid for driving their cattle clear across the state, many were ready for celebration, adding to the colorful stories that abound in this part of Florida.

As times changed and years went on, Station 2 has been home to a fire station and Police station with a jail, as well as government offices. Founder Stan Schultes shares our story with ABC 7’s Linda Carson in a Historic Manatee TV segment.